Love Story
by JamesSunderlandsPillow
Summary: Luan Loud forms a special bond with a mysterious girl, and asks for Lori's advice on how to approach it. (One Shot. Luaggie. I do not own The Loud House.)


The Loud House, sunset.

Lori Loud lies belly down on her bed, phone to her ear, bare feet giddily waving in the air.

"Hey babe," she flirtatiously greets the person on the other end of the line, who of course is her very own Bobby Boo Boo Bear.

"Hey you," he greets with a smile, casually relaxing at his place of work: the Casagrande bodega. "Have you missed me?"

Lori giggles at that. "Of course I missed you! I was actually thinking about you all day!" she excitedly tells him as she rolls over on her back to happily look up to the ceiling.

"Aww, babe!" he responds as he attempts to rest his arm all chill like on the counter, only to clumsily miss and almost fall over. Good thing no one is around to see it.

Except for Sergio, of course.

"Bwak! Bobby Bonehead! Bobby Bonehead!" he squawks.

"What was that?" Lori asks.

"Uh, just Sergio. He uh, I was telling Ronnie Anne how I uh, would make a great pro wrestler and all, and my name would be _Bobby Bonehead!"_ he fibs, flexing his skinny arm for he and Sergio's eyes only.

"Bawk! He's a liar! He's a liar! And a bonehead! And a bonehead!" the bird squawks again.

"Quiet, you!" Bobby assertively tells the exotic bird with an exotic vocabulary, using his hand to muffle words from going through the phone.

Lori hears anyway though, but just laughs. "You're silly. Anyway, I was thinking of you all day!" she says, perking up into a seated position now.

"Really? Aww, I won't lie I kind of needed that today. It's been a long day at work," Bobby admits. "So what'd you think about?"

"Well, I remember you saying how much you like those old cheesy Muscle Fish movies with the subtitles," Lori begins.

"I love Muscle Fish!" Bobby proudly affirms before turning to Sergio and giving him a skank eye. Sergio simply squawks as a rebuttal.

"I know!" Lori continues. "Anyway, I was taking Linc to the comic book store earlier, and we saw this issue of the comic, and I immediately thought of that party where you drank too much apple cider, and I had to drive you home because you were feeling sick."

Bobby smiles. "That night should have been horrible. But you being there with me made it so nice."

"Oh Bobby," Lori wistfully says in response.

Suddenly, there's a knock at her door.

Lori rolls her eyes. "Why now?" she curses.

"What? Was my crying too annoying for you on the way home?" Bobby asks.

"No, just- Give me a sec, Boo Boo Bear," she tells him before getting up to answer the door, the displeasure radiating in her gait.

She opens her door, and to her surprise, Luan of all her sisters is there. Even more surprisingly, she isn't smiling.

Lori raises a brow at this. "Luan?"

"Hey Lori," Luan greets with a forced smile, but then she deflates again as a worrisome expression dons on her. "Uhm, are you super busy?"

"Babe?" the oldest Loud sister can hear Bobby say through the phone.

"Give me just a second," Lori tells him before lowering her phone again to acknowledge her younger sibling. Belatedly, she asks with some skepticism, "Is everything alright?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, everything is fine! Heh heh," Luan skittishly responds, "I just… Uhm... " she stammers as she nervously rubs her arm. "I kind of need to talk to somebody about something. Something important."

Lori's dubiousness leaves her as concern takes its place. "Sure. Come in," she tells Luan, making way for her to enter the room.

"Thanks," Luan says, and she makes her way inside with some trepidation.

"I'm gonna call you back, Bobby. Don't let me forget to finish this story. It ends with Auto Fish getting flushed down a toilet," Lori tells him.

"Really! Awesome!" Bobby excitedly replies, half his attention on his paramore, the other on refraining from getting into a fist fight a certain bird pecking at the cash register.

Lori hangs up the phone, and puts it in her pocket. She then shifts her focus to Luan, who timidly stands in the middle of the room while looking to the blue carpet.

Lori meets her with a troubled eyes. "You can take a seat if you want to. Talk to me," Lori sincerely tells her, invitingly patting the side of the mattress she sits on now.

"Well, I don't think I'll be able to carry the bed by myself. I can't _spring_ to the occasion, heh heh," Luan jokes, somewhat weakly, but still with a little smile.

Lori rolls her eyes and sighs. "Okay, I can see it's not _that_ big of an emergency," she remarks.

Despite the lame joke, Luan goes ahead and allows herself to have a seat by her sister. She briefly glances at her and smiles another weak little smile, but makes it obvious just how despondent she is as she looks to the floor once again.

Seeing Luan won't speak up first, Lori takes initiative.

"Okay, this isn't you, Luan. What's up?" she asks.

Another forced smile from the brunette. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad," she starts. "Or, at least, I hope it isn't."

Lori raises her brow again, but she doesn't get too excited. She simply waits for Luan to elaborate on whatever is bothering her.

"So… Can I ask you something kind of silly?" she follows up.

Lori faintly chuckles. "Well, I mean… You tend to do that with your jokes."

Luan amusedly winces. "Leave the jokes to me."

"Alright, alright…" Lori says with a smile. "Ask me anything."

Luan takes a breath, then proceeds.

"Okay, so, I'm just going to come right out and ask it. How did you know when you liked Bobby? Like, _like liked_ him?"

Lori's eyes widen. "How did I know when I liked Bobby? Huh," she responds, a little taken back. "Why do you want to know that?"

Before Luan can even compose a rebuttal, Lori deduces for herself. "Wait a minute…" she says. Then, her pupils grow large and glossy, her lips curve into a wide smile, and she lets out a shameless "Awwwwwww!"

Luan sighs. "Here it comes…"

"You have a crush on somebody don't you?!" Lori speculates, her enthusiasm burning brightly on her peachy face.

"I wish I could be _crushed_ now," Luan jokes as she falls back on the bed like a snow angel.

Lori is quick to lean down beside her though, her smirk firmly resolved on her face.

"So, tell me all the details! Who is this guy? What's he like? What happened?" she relentlessly fires away.

Luan sighs again. "Well, it's a long, complicated story," she answers before sitting back up.

The ambivalent look on her face has all but turned into a frown, and Lori can't help but lose her joy upon seeing it.

She sits up too, meeting her sister's eye level. "Are you okay, Luan? Did something happen to you?" she asks.

"It's- nothing like that," Luan clarifies, still refusing to look Lori in the eyes. "It's just, I don't know how to feel about all of this. I feel stupid for even coming in here, or even having to ask someone about this, or just- GAH!" she groans.

Lori frowns. Despite the obvious tension though, she does her sisterly duty, placing a comforting hand on Luan's shoulder.

That gets the girl to look her in the face now.

"Luan, whatever it is. It's not stupid. And you can talk to me about it. After all… We're sisters. I know we don't spend as much one on one time as maybe we could…"

She has to stop for a moment, looking to the floor herself now as that fact weighs heavily on her.

But she bucks up, closes her eyes, and takes a breath to keep her strength to her.

"But I'm here for you. Seriously," she asserts with a soft smile.

Luan smiles too.

"Seriously? No funny business?"

"No funny business," Lori agrees.

They simply gaze at one another for a moment, this ruling established.

Finally relaxing a little, Luan decides to firm her own resolve and say what she came to say.

"Okay, well, I guess I should start from the beginning."

"I'm all ears," Lori says, pulling her phone out of her pocket and turning it off to prove her point.

Luan smiles at that. With her sister making this clear, she proceeds.

"Well, the first thing you should know is, I feel like I could fly!" she begins, raising her hands in the air. "I just feel- alive! Like, I could take on the world. It's so amazing!" she explains.

"Aww!" Lori comments with a smile.

But Luan deflates. "At the same time, I'm so scared. I just feel like everything I do, I mess up. Everything I say, it comes out wrong. I don't know what's wrong with me…"

"Aww…" Lori comments again, this time with a somber energy.

They allow the words to linger in the air for a moment, and then Lori decides to follow up with a question.

"Okay, so why do you feel afraid? What's the problem with this guy?" she asks.

Luan doesn't answer right away. She closes her eyes, lowers her head, and deeply sighs.

"Well, I guess part of it is just that…" she bemoans.

Lori meets her with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Luan opens her eyes, looks skyward, and then meets Lori's eyes once again. She sickly smiles, but the way she does it makes it obvious she couldn't feel any more anxious.

…

"Well, it's a girl."

…

Lori's eyes widen enough for her stress marks to show. "Oh," she simply says, trying to play it cool.

"Yeah…" Luan says with a bit of a cringe. The two girls are quiet for a moment, thinking of what to say to break the tension. It's Luan to speak up first.

"I know what you're thinking. Way to _female_ the message, heh heh. I tried not to be so _girly_ about it. Please don't _ovary-react,"_ she jokes with awkward smiles. They soon give way to awkward frowning though. "I _ovary_ did it, didn't I?"

Lori takes a moment to relax herself before responding with a coy, "Yeah. Yeah, just a little bit."

Silence ensues… Nothing is said between the two for a palpable few seconds.

Eventually though, despite Luan's sudden revelation, Lori is able to form a levelheaded follow up.

"So, uhm… Who's the girl? Is she someone I would maybe know?" she asks her younger sister.

Luan thoughtfully hums as she pecks her finger against her chin. "I mean, I don't feel like she's the type to post stuff on SwiftyPic. She's more the type to uh… wanna die her hair purple."

Lori blinks a few times, digesting this new information. She shakes herself to get with the proverbial program though, and shift into full on big sister mode. Question time.

"Okay, let's back up a little bit. You said you would start from beginning. Let's do that," Lori suggests.

Luan deviously grins. "Well, you already know my birth story. It's definitely not anywhere as contrived as Lincoln's," she says with a little giggle.

Lori is unamused. "Har har. Too funny," she snidely says with her arms crossed.

Luan chuckles a little. "Alright, alright… I'm done with the dumb jokes. I'm _not aloud_ to make anymore," the comedienne quips one last time.

For Lori, it was just as funny as the first time.

Luan regains composure, and clears her throat before beginning.

"Okay, so, I guess I should tell you how we met. Well, it all happened last Friday night…"

* * *

A group of high school freshmen have gathered in the gymnasium for a party. There are refreshments served on a large table covered by a white tablecloth, and a banner hanging high that reads "Welcome Theatre Club!"

As the students casually dance and engage in water cooler talk by the punch bowl, Luan enters in through the double doors at the far end of the room. Her usual carefree, happy-go-lucky demeanor is absent. Instead, she carries herself defensively with a bit of a hesitant hunch, failing to smile her signature smile.

She looks around at the students. There aren't any familiar faces, but a couple of them acknowledge her arrival with little smiles and waves.

She politely returns the gesture, but her anxiety doesn't leave her. In fact, she has to pull herself back into the hallway just to try and calm her nerves.

She heavily sighs. "Okay… You can do this Luan. It's just a party. You go to these all the time!" she reminds herself. She then peers back into the room, seeing the unfamiliar faces of her peers.

"Just… these kids are actually my age… and probably don't like balloon animals…" she admits before making sure to cram the small package of balloons into her pocket where they'll never see the light of day again.

She sighs again, and halfway slides her back down the wall before forcing herself to stand back up and remember she's in public- prone to embarrassment should anyone see her behave so foolishly.

"Chill, Luan. You got this!" she asserts. With some newfound composure, she reaches into her other pocket to get her smartphone, and unlocks it to see if a certain someone has messaged her.

She checks it, and unfortunately, the only message she can see from Benny is the same one he sent exactly thirty-eight minutes ago.

 **Benny: I'll see you at the party! Meet you there! :D**

Even worse, she didn't see him among the other partygoers. She even double checks with another sneaky peek inside, but no. No Benny.

"Uhhhh!" she groans. "Where are you, Benny?"

She steels herself for a moment, debating on whether or not to punch the keypads of her phone to type a message to him.

"Maybe I'll just ask him where he's at real quick. No! Don't do that Luan. It'll come off as too desperate…"

Reluctantly, she decides to put the phone away, and make her way back into the gymnasium. Calmly and coolly, she moseys her way over to the punch bowl, sort of exchanging looks with some of the other patrons. No one seems overjoyed to see her or anything, but they at least have the decency to softly smile or nod at her.

She tries to do the same with her best poker face. They don't have to see just how truly uncomfortable she feels being here right now.

The punch bowl: awesome. She goes over to it, and with steady hands, she pours herself a glass of the fruity concoction. As she takes a little sip of the stuff, being careful not to spill any on herself like a _total_ spaz, she feels a presence approaching her.

"Hello there," a girl with brunette hair and a beauty mark on her face greets from behind her.

Luan turns to face the friendly face. "Oh, hi!" she replies.

"My name's Jackie," the girl greets, extending her hand for a shake. "I take it you're new to theatre club?"

"Yeah, my name's Luan," she politely greets with a grin. And yeah, she smiles about it. She's always happy to meet new people.

But dang it… The girl's setting her up perfectly for this…

"Put her there!" she says, meeting the girl's hand for the completion of the handshake.

And… _ZAP!_ The joybuzzer in Luan's hand shocks Jackie, making her bounce up and messing up her hair just like in the cartoons.

"Hahaha!" Luan hardily laughs as she grabs her gut, all while a frizzy haired Jackie grimaces at her sophomoric behavior. "I hope you don't mind, I like to leave an _electric_ first impression! Hahaha, geddit?"

Jackie winces while stretching out her adulterated hand, stoically staring at the other girl. "Uh, yeah. That's nice," she says with little enthusiasm. "Nice to meet you, Luan," she adds with a fake smile before deciding to turn away and leave the other girl to herself.

Luan frowns. "Heh, not a fan of party gags. That's kind of _shocking,_ heh heh,"Luan jokes to herself before putting her joybuzzer away.

Despite the failed attempt at conversation, it doesn't stop her from becoming curious by a group of three huddled over the stage. A boy with an afro, a girl with glasses and a ponytail, and a handsome looking boy in a red and white soccer uniform.

Take two.

Luan takes one last swig of her… grape and lemon drink, then decides to go over to the trio.

She anticipates a moment for their conversation to settle down, then takes an opportunity to make herself known.

"Hey there guys," she greets with a smile.

"Hi!" the girl says back on their behalf.

"What's your name?" the handsome boy asks her.

"I'm Luan. Nice to meetcha!" she says, and she checks to make sure her hand is free of any electricity discharging devices before extending for a shake.

The boy accepts. "Say Luan, would you like to see a card trick?" he asks.

"A card trick! Oh boy, would I?!" she excitedly answers.

"Heh heh, alright then," the boy responds before reaching into his pocket for a deck of cards. He shuffles them, and then holds them out for her to choose one.

"Please select a card," he tells her.

Luan slyly smirks. "Alright. But just you know, I think I know where this is going. I'm a bit of a magic geek myself," she tells shamelessly lets him know. "I pick the 2 of hearts."

The others meet her remark with some obvious chagrin, but the boy continues anyway. "O-kay…" he says, and then he proceeds to shuffle the deck in a flamboyant manner, eliciting Ooo's and Ahh's from the other boy and girl. Luan just brashly holds her pose as she watches.

The boy finishes his elaborate shuffling, then holds out one card face down.

He proudly smiles before flipping it over to reveal what it is. "Voila! Is _this_ your card?"

Lo and behold, it is in fact the 2 of hearts. The other boy and girl gleefully applaud his display, but Luan simply shrugs.

"Nice job, dude. You're a real _card,_ " she tells him with a smile. "But I've got a better one. See, I was reading this book by The Great Doheny, and there's actually another way to do the same trick, only you pull the card out of your sock and not your sleeve!"

The boy with the cards dons a worried expression as the boy with the afro looks to him with an incriminating gaze before boldy taking his wrist and exposing it from his jacket. And of course, there are two other cards concealed in there.

No one is happy about the secret being revealed, but Luan doesn't seem to notice.

"If you'd like me to show you, could I see your deck? I promise not to make a big _deal_ about it! Haha!" Luan inquires.

The others all exchange annoyed glares before meeting her with the cold shoulder.

"I think we're just going to go get some more punch," the girl unapologetically tells her before abandoning her.

For the second time, she's ruined the chance to make some decent conversation with fellow aspiring thespians. This time, it actually hurts quite a bit, and she lets it show as she frowns.

"Dang… Way to go Luan. So stupid!" she cusses to herself.

She looks around to see if there is anyone to maybe engage in some more chatter with, but everyone seems pretty well occupied, smiling a laughing and just having an all around fun time with the company they have.

Luan on the other hand, she stands alone, feeling exposed.

With the feeling of dread now coming over her, she reaches for her phone once again, checking to see if Benny has messaged. Again, she's disappointed to find that he has nothing for her.

A very saddened frown comes to her face.

As she puts her phone away and braces for the terrible transition into awkwardly standing around with no one to talk to, she hears a burst of collective laughter growing more and more audible.

Her eyes wander to the source of the laughter, and she finds a group of several students gathering to the far left corner of the gymnasium. Her curiosity and affinity for laughter getting the better of her, she decides to go have a look for herself.

She walks herself over to the others, and is able to break through the gaggle of gigglers to see just what's got them all so entertained.

She can't even get a word in with their laughing so hard. Man, whatever it was, it must have been pretty good. It'd be great to ask someone just what it was, but no one will quiet down.

Well, they do with time, all except for one person.

A girl with black hair, pale skin, and a purple hoodie tied around her waist is laughing _hysterically._ As everyone else slowly ebbs, she just continues laughing out loud, holding her ribs, carelessly cackling, even snorting these charming little snorts in between.

And everyone, including Luan, gawks at her. Out of everyone in the room that looks like she could enjoy herself so much, she's the last one that anybody else would expect.

Slowly, she begins to realize she has become the elephant in the room, feeling everyone else's incriminating eyes on her as she steadily lets her laughter die down.

Finally, she's stopped, and for a moment, she just stands there like a deer caught in headlights. Absolutely silent…

For just the shortest few seconds, her eyes meet Luan. The brunette tries to hide how embarrassed she is for the girl, but her sickly cringe gives it away.

The strange girl forms sweat on her brow, and nervously looks to everyone staring at her the way they do.

Boy, it's awkward.

Eventually, the girl becomes too uncomfortable being the center of everyone's attention, and without a word, she darts to the nearest exit.

All Luan can do is watch with a knot in her stomach. Not only does she feel confused by the entire situation, but there are still the lingering feelings of humiliation and rejection inside her. And now, pity.

The other party patrons idle about for a bit before shrugging the peculiar incident off and returning to their business. They could care less, it was just a thing.

But Luan can't help but feel bad for her. It had to be embarrassing, but it had to be pretty bad for this girl to up and speed out the room the way she did.

Luan momentarily steels herself, wandering her eyes around the room at the nameless faces smiling and laughing about… whatever.

Then she looks to the door that the girl ran out of. It actually leads to the backlot of the campus; maybe that girl knew this, maybe she didn't. Or maybe it didn't matter to her.

There probably was no use in going and checking on her. After all, Luan had already left two bad impressions on people this evening. A third one would really put the nail in the coffin for her theatre club career.

Then again, it's not like she's missing out on anything wallflowering around this gym all alone.

She sighs as she comes to a decision.

And with that, she makes her way out the very same door.

* * *

"When one door closes, another one opens," Luan thinks aloud as she steps outside into the chilly autumn night. At first glance, no one else is around, and Luan wears the uncertainty on her face while proceeding onward.

"She couldn't have gone too far…" she voices, cautiously looking around her surroundings: the walking track, the football field, the bleachers.

No girl though.

So, she decides to go sit down on them and think things out.

She ascends the risers, going as far as the third row before taking a seat on them.

A weary sigh escapes her as her bottom meets the cold metal, and she rests her head in her hand as she looks out into the night. A quiet gust of wind blows her way, the stars stay stagnant as she looks skyward. Unlike her Franklin Avenue home, things here are quiet and peaceful.

It's nice for a moment, but with the quiet comes time for her thoughts to wander, and they soon wander to Benny.

She reaches into the pocket of her skirt to take out her phone, and unlocks it. Yet again, there are no messages from the boy.

" _Huh…"_ she drearily sighs.

"I came out here to be alone," a glum voice suddenly states from just behind her, causing Luan to become startled.

"Ah!"

She looks behind her, and while no one appears in her line of sight right away, she finds herself checking the riser behind her.

Concealed within its gap is the girl from the party, looking deadpan and pretty well emotionless- a far cry from the display Luan witnessed just minutes ago.

Luan simply looks upon her freckled face for a moment, only able to see it with the stadium lights shining down on them.

She looks tired, but also restless. Bored, but also annoyed.

While Luan conveys a blend of apprehension and concern from the preceding events of the evening, the other girl could seemingly care less.

So, without really knowing what to make of it, Luan just sort of watches her until she fixes her pupils on the towering brunette.

Her blank expression sours slightly. "Did you not hear me?"

Luan shakes herself once she realizes she's basically just staring at her like an idiot.

"Uhm, uh. Sorry. Didn't mean to bother you," she apologizes.

The raven haired girl scowls, but ebbs as she lays her head back down on the canvas below.

For a short while, nothing is said between the two. Stranger Danger just lies in her comfy little space between the bleacher risers with the aforementioned ambivalent expression glued on her face, all while Luan skittishly plays with the end of her ponytail.

Again, she decides to check her phone. "Please say something already," she voices quietly regarding Benny.

And yet, nothing.

She doesn't sigh again, but she wants to as she puts the phone away once more.

"Waiting for your hot date?" the girl with the purple hoodie snarkily comments.

Luan raises a brow. "Uh… Well…"

"People aren't very reliable. I learned that a long time ago," the girl interrupts. "Always better to expect disappointment. That way, when it happens, it isn't so bad."

As depressingly blunt as the girl's thesis is, Luan can't help but actually chuckle in response. Not loudly or obnoxiously, but just a little chortle.

"Ha ha, you sound like Lucy," she claims.

The girl barely raises her head enough to meet Luan with a skeptical look.

"Oh, Lucy is my sister. I have nine of them. And a brother," Luan explains with a smile. "She's goth too."

The girl swiftly sits herself up with Michael Myers finesse. "Ex- _cuse_ me?" she snarls.

Luan defensively cowers away. "I didn't say that was a bad thing!"

"I am not _goth._ I'm emo _._ There's a difference!" she barks. "I swear…" she adds while crossing her arms.

Luan takes a moment to consider her response. While she knows it'd probably be better to show some sincerity and compassion with her words, especially considering what happened with the others she tried to talk to in the gymnasium…

She's also Luan Loud, her own worst enemy when it comes to making stupid jokes.

She fights a smile, poorly.

"Well, you _goth_ me there. I didn't know it was such an _emo_ -tional topic for you!"

Luan laughs before seeing the other girl scowling, and then she clams up. Rest in peace, Luan.

But…

"That was really stupid," the girl simply comments. No venom, no claws, just a harsh critique.

Business as usual. A bit disappointing, actually. But not in a bad way.

Again, there's a little bit of silence as they look at little spots here and there away from one another, but Luan decides to try and salvage as much of this interaction as she can.

"So, uh, I'm Luan. What's your name?" she asks the girl now with a weak little grin.

The girl squints her eyes, then rolls them, all while keeping her arms crossed. "Didn't I tell you I wanted to be left alone?"

The argument hurts Luan's pride a bit, but also incites a little spite of her own.

"Most people don't come to parties to be alone. Why are you here if you don't wanna be?" Luan inquires.

Now the girl stands up, and dusts herself off a little before making sure her hoodie is tied tight around her waist. "Do you know Jane?" she asks.

Luan pretends to think it over with a mock thoughtful look on her face, but she doesn't know. Of course she doesn't know.

"I don't think so," she answers.

"Come on," the other girl commands, and she begins descending the bleachers before Luan can even stand up.

"Hey, wait!" she hollers, but she's ignored as the girl keeps moving along, seemingly forgetting about her like she's been gone.

Luan collects herself, and hurriedly makes her way to follow the gloomy girl. She watches as she makes her way to the very same doors that enter the gym, and a lump forms in her throat. She gulps.

The self-proclaimed emo looks back to her with one hand on the door handle, raising a brow at Luan.

"Are you dying?" she bluntly asks.

Luan nervously smiles. "What? I'm fine. Uhm… Are we going back… _in there?"_ she asks, trying and failing not to make it obvious how this makes her feel.

The other girl just rolls her eyes before just barely creeking the door open.

She pokes her head in just a little bit, wandering just one of her eyeballs around the room.

Luan waits with anticipation until she backs her head back out to face her.

"Okay, over there by the punch bowl. Short, skinny, redheaded girl," she stoically points out before making room for Luan to have a peek in as well.

The Loud sibling lets her fears subside long enough to go ahead and do as she's been instructed, poking her own head in just enough to look at the girl being talked about.

"That's Jane," the emo girl says about the redheaded girl. "She likes to think she's Carol Pingrey, but really, she's just an annoying spaz."

Luan studies the premadonna for a few seconds before deciding Gloom and Doom is probably right about her, and she looks back out to face her again.

"Okay, so what does she have to do with anything?" Luan asks.

Gloomy sharply sighs. "I hate her. Her mom is friends with my mom, and they both decided it would be a great idea for me to _socialize_ with people in the stupid _theatre club!"_ she complains.

Luan digests her cynical statement, and thinks it over as she taps her finger against her chin.

"Well, maybe that's not a bad thing? I mean, I actually really like drama class, and I think this club will be, uh… a lot of fun," she says, her enthusiasm dying a bit with the latter words.

She quickly pulls her phone out once again, and notices nothing from Benny. _Again._

She winces, but it's not like she can do much else about it, so she puts it away before looking back up.

 _Aaaaaaaand_ Spooky is gone.

Luan frantically looks around, trying to spot her, and eventually sees her trekking the track just a few yards away.

"Hey! Wait up!" she calls out before jogging over to catch up with her.

"You're still here?" the other girl bemoans as she realizes Luan coming to her side.

"Gee, don't sound too thrilled to have me around," Luan sarcastically tells her through panting breaths.

"Whatever…" the other girl ripostes. "Why don't you go back inside and spend time with your theatre pals; conforming to status quo standards and pretending like we're not all hurtling towards an inevitable demise."

"Alright," Luan simply responds. "So, is this whole emo shtick always so Debby Downer, or are you ever allowed to have some fun?" she teases.

"Oh, I have fun. I love fun," the other girl tells her. "I just do it away from people like that, and people like you."

The words stop Luan in her tracks, but Spooky keeps going. Luan just watches her for a moment, thinking over how to handle someone so intent on being... _down._

She has her "aha" moment though.

"Hey, wait," she says before picking up the pace again. "I saw you laughing like that in there! Whatever it was, it had to be pretty darn funny to get you to _crack_ up like that!" she jokes as she intentionally steps over a crack in the pavement of the track.

The emo girl becomes flushed upon this being brought up, visibly becoming a little anxious about it.

"Uh, uh… I don't know what you're talking about. Someone said their grandma was on fire. I swear."

"Oh, come on. Whatever it was, it had to be pretty awesome," Luan asserts. "I mean, I don't know if you noticed, but I really love laughing. I love everything about it, the way it feels, the way it sounds, the way it's so… contagious!" she says as she gently pokes the other girl right in the rib.

The flustered face turns into a frown again. "Don't poke me," she gravely warns her.

But Luan just smiles. "Hey, seriously now. Will you tell me what it was? Please? I'd love to know. And I promise not to bother you anymore if you do," she tells the frowning female.

Said female narrows her grey eyes. "You're lying, aren't you."

Luan shrugs and smiles. "Probably. But I can't help it. I like a challenge," she explains. "Everyone in my family is used to my routine, and everyone else are either fuddy duddies or just laugh too easily."

"Pffft. Can't see why," the other girl snidely remarks.

But Luan laughs. "Ha ha ha… See! That's what I'm seeing in ya. You've got a good sense of humor, I just know it!" she states.

She hurries up to get a little bit ahead of the pale freckled girl with a secret name, and stops her with a gentle arm around the shoulder.

"You're touching me!" she groans with a grimace, but Luan ignores this.

"It isn't healthy to keep the laughs bottled up inside," the brunette with braces begins before allowing her smile to wane. "Actually, I used to be the same way for a bit…"

This gets the emo girl's attention. "Malarky," she retorts. "You were _born_ this way."

"Maybe so, but it isn't always easy," Luan tells her. "See, while on most days I'm able to smile and put on a happy face-" she hesitates, but continues anyway. "Sometimes, I just feel really crummy."

She stops walking. Her eyes meet the pavement below, and the other girl stops herself too to look upon her, a mix of concern and curiosity in her eyes.

Luan wears melancholy on her face for a moment, but perks up with a smile again. "But then I remember how laughter is the best medicine!"

The ravenette huffs. "Pfff. You sound like a Hallmark card."

"Maybe. But laughter can come around any day of the year. And that's a fact!" Luan happily tells her.

"Bleh," Spooky groans while sticking her tongue out. "What would you know about any of that? You look like someone who's never had a bad day in her life."

Luan tries to maintain her vibrant, sunshiney smile… but it's a weak effort. Somberness bleeds through like a heart on her sleeve.

"I've had bad days."

Grumpy girl just folds her arms, unfazed. "Oh yeah? Like how."

Luan thinks it over, twiddling her fingers together all nervously. "Uhm, well…"

It takes her some time to muster the courage to speak her mind, but she finds it soon enough, and sighs before beginning.

"Well, today, sort of."

The other girl's eyes widen a little, and she pays close attention to hear Luan's elaboration.

"See, all day I've been trying to get this one boy to notice me, but when I talk to him, I just feel like everything I say to him comes out wrong. Like, one wrong move and I'll push him away forever…" she admits, dejectedly doing a little twirl-around before allowing her back to rest against the nearby fence.

"That... sounds kind of sad," the black haired girl says, the cynicism in her tone ebbing slightly.

"Ehh, I guess it's no big deal," Luan shrugs off with a wince. "It's just…"

She finds pause, steeling herself regarding whether or not to continue. But again, she finds it in her to keep going.

"It's not really the first time this has happened, either. It's like when I get close to people, and they see the real me… I end up hurt."

She pulls out her phone again, checking to see if Benny has called or texted.

"Heh, kind of like now."

As she slowly conceals the device with a hint of pain in her eyes, the other girl only watches, an indifferent look on her face. She wears it well for short notice, before shaking herself and returning to emo form.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" she softly asks.

Luan considers her question for a moment, conveying the wheels cogging with a thoughtful, almost forlorn expression.

"I… I don't know actually… I'm sorry," she tells the other girl, smiles and jokes all but escaping her for the time being.

And for a few seconds, the two teenagers just look to one another, sharing these complicatedly conflicting feelings somewhere between pity and misunderstanding.

But, being Luan Loud, the chipper brunette bucks up, and puts on a smile while fixing her posture.

"You know, all this downer talk puts me in the mood for a joke!"

"Of course it does…" the other girl replies with obvious despondence.

Luan clears her throat, and begins. "Okay, why did the superhero flush the toilet?" she animatedly asks, eagerly beaming from ear to ear.

The other girl glowers at her with great scorn, but concedes. It's the easier way out.

"What?" she responds in the tartest way possible.

"Because it was his _duty!_ Hahahaha! Get it?!" Luan answers, quite proud of her joke.

The other girl rigidly frowns. "Excellent. I want to go play in traffic now," she quips.

Luan meets her with a smirk of mock uncertainty. "Oh, come on. Don't throw me under the _bus_ like that! Hahaha! Hahaha!"

Luan continues laughing at her own joke, and the girl whose name is a mystery to her… frowns. She could not convey any more displeasure.

And yet, here the two of them are, here on the track, spending this moment together.

"I liked it better when you were talking about being sad," the pale girl shamelessly confesses.

Luan disregards the blatant blow, wiping a tear from her eye as she finishes busting a gut.

"Hahaha, hahaha… Oh that was good… And hey, by all means, feel free to chime in and tell me what it was that had you laughing so hard earlier. The only way to keep the laugh train going is to say something funnier after all! Don't _derail_ it! I need you to ca- _boose-_ t me up! Ha!"

The other girl can't even frown now. She instead wears a look of disbelief on her face while gawking at Luan's display.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" she snidely asks.

Luan shrugs. "More than I'm willing to pay Dr. Lopez for," she answers. "But anyway… You really should tell me what was so funny back there," she insists once more.

The emo girl conveys impatience as she slightly shakes her head and groans. "What does it even matter to you? You could be calling up your boyfriend or one of your eleventy-seven sisters to mess around with?"

Luan again stops to ponder. It takes her a little while this time before she's satisfied with her conclusion.

"I guess… I dunno. You just seem… I dunno… You seem like maybe there's more to this 'hardened exterior' thing that you got going on," she answers.

The other girl is flabbergasted by her response. "What does that even mean?!"

Luan nervously rubs her arm, and looks to the side as she explains herself. "I'm sorry. I just… I like seeing people happy. I liked seeing you happy back there," she begins.

The other girl simply listens as Luan carries on.

"Sorry if I'm being annoying, or just bothering you or whatever. I guess… I guess I've just been feeling really lonely lately, and I was getting the impression maybe you do too, and now I'm rambling, and… and now I'm thinking maybe this was just a bad idea…"

She sadly eyes the ground now as the other girl stares at her. Where there was a glow to Luan before, even during her momentary signs of weakness… Now there's a shroud. She's disappointed herself. A lot.

On the other hand…

Where the other girl had tried so hard to seem careless and unmoved by it all, her eyes have something new inside of them. Something sympathetic, something guilty.

Even so, Luan lets out a heavy sigh. "I think I'll go inside now. Sorry again for bothering you. I'll see ya. Maybe," she tells the other girl before turning around to leave her.

"Wait."

Luan stops upon hearing those words, and looks back to the girl with a purple hoodie tied around her waist.

She takes a deep breath before speaking again.

"I… I'll tell you what it was."

The depressing demeanor from Luan is quickly subjugated by her familiar brand of enthusiastic energy as she practically comes to life with a big, bold smile.

"You will?!"

"Yes," the other girl confirms. "But you better not be a spaz about it!" she barks, pointing her ghostly white finger at the hopelessly happy girl in the yellow skirt.

"Normally I'd think of a pun, but I don't wanna press my luck. Whenever you're ready," Luan invites her new confidante to proceed.

And so she does.

"Okay…" she begins closing her eyes and bracing herself for the worst. "Why does Piglet always stink?"

Luan does the math in her head, really thinking it over, really digging deep to deduce the answer to the riddle.

"Uhm… Wow. I have no idea," she admits.

The other girl sighs with defeat before answering. She already knows this won't end well.

"Because he's always playing with Pooh."

…

Slowly, Luan's bewildered face forms the biggest, most shamelessly joyful smile in maybe all of her years.

The other girl face palms in response to this. "I knew I shouldn't have told you…"

And Luan _loses_ it. She begins laughing hysterically, tears falling from her eyes, her hands holding on to her ribs.

"HAHAHA! HAHA! HAHAHA! Oh my gosh! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever- How? It had no right to be so funny! Oh man!"

All the while, the other girl with the ghostly pale skin just stands there with a deadpan, bleak tone to her face.

Finally, Luan's laughing subsides. "Oh, oh golly… _Whew!"_ she says as she wipes a tear from her eye.

She paces towards the mysterious girl, and places a hand on her shoulder. "Heh heh, heh heh…"

She looks up to meet her eyes. Nothing. No smiling, no giggling. Not even a weird little snort.

"Really?" Luan asks.

"Remove your hand before I remove it for you," the freckled girl comments, and Luan does so casually.

"Why aren't you laughing?" Luan inquires, disregarding the threat.

The other girl scoffs. "Pfft. I dunno. It just isn't funny anymore," she sharply states.

Luan considers her answer. "I mean, fair enough. But man, that was comedy gold! I can see why it had you in stitches."

The other girl just rolls her eyes, and gets to walking again. Luan follows, and no questions are asked about it.

However, she does decide to ask more about the girl she knows so little about.

"So what else do you think is funny?" she asks, realizing soon after it may have been too straightforward with the way she scratches the back of her neck.

"I think it's funny you keep trying to talk to me," her companion spits back.

"Dang," Luan replies. "Am I really that bad of company?"

The other girl measures her up out of the corner of her eyes, and shrugs. "Eh, I guess not."

Luan smiles at that, and they continue strolling along the track, despite the night, despite the cool autumn weather.

"Well, I can see you're picky about your jokes. But there's all sorts of ways to get people to laugh. References, gags, wisecracks- which you've got pretty down by the way," Luan proceeds to explain.

"Great. I'm very thankful to have an expert sharing her encyclopedic knowledge with me," the eccentric emo retorts.

Luan deviously smirks. "Well, trust me, I don't waste it on just anybody. I told you about my sister, right? The one who's a goth too?" she quips.

The other girl unamusedly huffs. "Very funny."

But Luan doesn't let up. She keeps smiling the same rotten little grin.

"I'm happy you think so. It's always nice to take a break from _dwelling on the absolute meaninglessness of life,"_ Luan mockingly tells her, slipping into a little emo drawl.

The other girl rolls her eyes at this, but doesn't stop walking by her side.

"Great. Just when I thought you were done making an idiot of yourself," she ripostes.

"Sigh… I wish I could. But it's just so pointless. Like a pencil. _Without lead,"_ Luan continues, really accentuating the emo impression now.

It makes the other girl shake her head and scrunch her face up. "What are you even doing right now?" she asks.

"I ask myself that every night. But then I remember that- it doesn't really matter," Luan replies, staying in character.

A little more incredulousness on the part of the emo girl. "You're so dumb."

"If only I couldn't talk. Then I wouldn't be reminded how _no one ever listens!"_ Luan jokes.

"Okay, that's actually kind of…" the other girl begins to say as she begins to smile. But she quickly shakes herself. "Pfff… Whatever."

Seeing that she may finally be getting somewhere, Luan keeps laying it on thicker, heavier, and more emo.

"Whatever. Right," she begins again. "I was going to say something about novacaine, but I'm just not _feeling_ it today."

The other girls purses her lips. "Wh-What?"

"Then again, it would just be nice to feel something for once," Luan adds.

Little snorts escape her nostrils now as the pursing becomes a full on lip bite. "Stop…"

"I'd say my heartbeat, but my heart's always breaking."

She clenches her fists, her freckled pale cheeks turn red. Her eye even twitches. "Luan…"

Finally, Luan stops in her tracks. She looks to the girl with the most emotionless, dreary expression she can force upon herself, slouching over, conveying misery and woe with every fiber of her skinny, fourteen year old body.

And the other girl stops too, and looks to her.

"Black apples are my favorite apples," Luan says with a straight face.

…

"They're _hardcore."_

…

Finally, after all of their time together tonight, the girl laughs.

It's unrelenting, and unforgiving. She laughs and laughs her emo little heart out, allowing herself to feel free in the moment without a care in the world.

And Luan? She decides to join her.

And for a little while, they just enjoying sharing each other's laughter, totally unworried about everything else.

Eventually though, the emo girl's laughter begins to subside. All good things must come to an end, and that is the case with this humorous exchange.

She regains composure, a small smile lingering on her face, and she shifts her focus to Luan.

Who… of course, is still busting a gut.

"Hahaha! Hahaha! Aha! Aha! Ahahaha!"

The other girl's smile wanes a little, "Luan? Luan…" before fading completely. But Luan just keeps laughing like a fool.

"Hahaha! Hahaha! Ahahahaha! Aha!"

Enough is enough. "Alright, already!" the other girl shouts, her face turning a shade of crimson.

She glares at Luan with dagger eyes as she slowly calms herself, teetering on the edge of another outburst, just in case.

Luan just looks back with a perplexed expression, taken back by the sudden change of heart.

But, being Luan Loud, she dons another bashful little grin.

"Ha ha! Say… You're kind of cute when you're angry," she teases, before letting out another hearty laugh. "Ha ha ha!"

The other girl continues moping. "Don't call me cute," she unemphatically responds.

Luan gets over herself, and sighs of relief. "Okay… Okay… But uhm, hey. Jokes aside…" she starts, a little more bashful than before. "What is your name?"

The other girl tries to scowl at her with what would seem to be her signature sour style, but upon seeing the way Luan looks to her with such trepidation... she eases up.

She almost stops frowning, even.

"I'm Maggie," the emo girl reveals to her.

Luan keeps smiling at her, even blushing a little, and it's too much. Maggie actually has to smile just the faintest smile back at her.

"So, Luan… I told you why I'm- _sort of_ at this stupid party… But what brings you here?" Maggie inquires to know, displaying some actual consideration and interest as opposed to the proverbial cold shoulder she's offered all evening.

Somewhat surprised by her question, Luan raises a brow, but she quickly disregards this and smiles again.

"Oh. Well, I guess I can tell you if you really wanna know," she says, a sliver of wistfulness slipping into her voice.

She takes a breath, and considers her words before proceeding further.

"Well, I was actually invited to this party by my friend Benny. He's a really sweet guy. You'd probably like-" she almost says, until she sees Maggie's ambivalent reaction. "Er, uh… He's nice," she says instead.

Maggie nods. "So, you got stood up by your date, and decided to take it out on me with your bullying and harassment?" she asks with a straight face.

Luan's eyes widen with shock. "What? No!"

Maggie slightly bows her head. "That was a joke."

Luan lets her heart nervously flutter in her heart for a moment, then forces out a little laugh. "Oh. Heh."

Maggie shakes her head now, then considers her next words. "So, is that why you're joining theatre club? To spend more time with this guy or…?"

Luan blinks a few times in an attempt to keep herself through the questioning. "Well, uhm, sort of, honestly. I probably wouldn't have done it if he wasn't in it," she admits. "But, that's the only reason. It's just a _Benny-_ fit, haha."

She then looks skyward and takes a deep breath. And of course, Maggie doesn't even bat an eye at her clever pun. She does pay mind to what the brunette Loud is about to say to her, however.

"Honestly, I really love the idea of getting into the theatre gig. I hate to sound, you know… braggy,but the idea of being able to put my passions and talents into something? And actually maybe even be appreciated for it?..."

She doesn't even finish, she just sighs, and dejectedly lowers her head.

"Actually, never mind. Let's just talk about something else."

Maggie thoughtfully nods, her expression unchanging.

"So, you don't feel appreciated for your funny girl schtick?" she bluntly asks, earning her a bit of a grimace from her companion. Before Luan ran react verbally, however, she continues. "That's understandable. I can respect that."

Luan's grimace becomes a puzzled one, but she says nothing. She just waits to hear Maggie's explanation.

"I love screamo bands, sleeping in until 2:00 in the afternoon, and I want to dye my hair purple. But for whatever reason, nobody wants to hear about that stuff," she says with a bit of a shrug.

"I like purple," Luan almost instantly responds with a bit of a soft smile.

Maggie meets her eyes for a moment, questioning how she feels about this information, and how to respond to it. It doesn't take long for her to decide to quiver her lips into the smallest smirk possible, though.

"And I like having a good laugh once in a while. But if you ever tell anyone I said that, I'll finish you."

She can't help it, she curves her lips a little more now, just smiling back at Luan without an explanation.

They decide to suddenly break it off, trailing their glances to anywhere but each other, and while neither of them sees it, they both actually blush a little.

"Don't think I'm some big softie or something, because I'm not," Luan is sure to remind her, still smiling, still blushing.

"Me neither," Maggie is says, saving just as much face.

And for a little while, they're both silent. No more banter, no more jokes, just the sound of faint winds blowing and bugs chirping far off in the distance.

It gives Luan time to mind just where she is, and she gets a bit of a chill from the cool atmosphere. Just a little shiver.

As for Maggie, her face forms these funny little winces as she tries to think of how to break through the quiet. She perks up a little when she decides on the perfect thing to say now though, and she begins to speak.

Just as she opens her mouth to say, "Hey," the sound of a ringer blares, signifying that her cell phone is getting a call.

The fourteen year old excitedly grins, and hurries into her pocket to grab it. "Oooo, that's probably Benny!" She takes out the phone and looks at, "It is!"

Before answering, she looks to Maggie, who meets her with a neutral expression of sorts. Luan nervously chuckles.

"I'm uh, I'm just gonna go take this real quick," she tells her, and Maggie just shrugs. With that, she jogs a comfortable distance away, and answers Benny's call.

She clears her throat before greeting him with a casual "Hello?"

"Hey Luan!" Benny chirps. "Uhm, so sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, something kind of came up," he reasons.

"Oh. Is everything alright?" Luan worriedly replies.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. We had to wait because some girl with way too much dry shampoo clipped our car, and we're exchanging insurance information," he explains.

"Alright. But you're okay?" Luan repeats.

Benny chuckles. "Oh yeah. I'm fine. This didn't _wreck_ my night or anything. It was just a little _bumper_ in the road!"

Luan laughs. "I get it, haha!... Just be careful on the rest of the way here, okay?"

"Will do. Don't have too much fun without me," Benny responds.

"Heh, I'll try not to," Luan answers.

And with that, they each hang up.

She takes a breath before putting her phone away, then turns back to check on Maggie.

And... she's gone.

She inquisitively looks around, trying to spot her whereabouts…

When she discovers her standing right beside her now.

"YAH!" she blurts out with a jolt back.

Maggie narrows her eyes, and says nothing before rolling them.

"Yeesh! You scared the heck out of me!" Luan cusses.

Maggie shrugs. "You scare easily," she defends.

Luan takes a moment to regain her composure, resting her hand over her pattering chest. She's able to brush it off though, putting on a little grin.

"You know, my goth sister does the same thing from time to time. She gives me a little _head poet's anxiety!_ Hahaha!"

Maggie frowns at the joke at her emo expense. "I think I hate you," she quips.

After calming down, a hardy gust of wind breezes through, sending shivers all up and down Luan's person.

"Oh my gosh that's chilly!" Luan thinks aloud. "I wish I had some _seasoning_ now! Heh heh," she tries to joke, but the chill really got to her. She shakes and shivers while holding her arms, her knees smacking together from the quivering.

Maggie looks to her with what could be considered concern. "Uhm, hey. Do you wanna maybe go inside now?" she suggests.

Luan just stares at her for a moment, thinking of how to phrase her thoughts. "Uhm, yeah, sure…" she says. "But, uhm… I'm not too interested in going back to the party just yet. Full disclosure," she confesses.

Maggie smirks. "You say that like I'd go back anyway." She motions Luan to follow her. "Come on, let's go before you reduce to a puddle… And actually, if _I'll_ reduce to a puddle…" she trails off with a thoughtful gaze into the distance.

But the sound of Luan's braced teeth chattering breaks her thought, and she returns her attention to her. The poor thing can hardly keep a steady pace she's shaking so hard.

Maggie rolls her eyes once more, and removes her hoodie from around her waist. "Here, put this on before I smack you," she insists, handing it over.

Luan stops shivering long enough to acknowledge the gesture, and looks to the hoodie before meeting Maggie's eyes.

The other girl widens them slightly, and holds the hoodie up just a little higher as if to say, _take it, already!_

Luan skittishly accepts the sweatshirt, and offers a little smile to her emo acquaintance before rushing to get it on.

By the time she's thrown it over her head and wrapped it snug on her person, she notices Maggie moving along, walking away without even waiting for her.

"Hey! Hold up!" Luan cries out from behind her before chasing after her.

Maggie doesn't turn back, she just keeps coolly walking forward with her hands in her pockets. She has to keep being herself, after all.

At the very least, she doesn't have to let Luan see the way she's smiling.

* * *

The two teenagers make it inside the vestibule of the school. First Maggie creeps her head in, doing a double take to make certain they'll be alone, and then she allows her whole self to enter. Luan timidly follows behind, hesitant to do the same.

"Uhm, I'm not so sure we're allowed anywhere else besides the party," she utters. "I mean, not to be a _party pooper,_ but maybe we should just go back to the gym?"

Maggie looks back to her with an unimpressed eyebrow raise, then simply presses forward. "If you wanna go hang out with your fellow conformists, be my guest."

Luan thinks it over momentarily, but reluctantly concedes as she enters the hallway as well. The school is so quiet for once, totally unlike the way it is during daytime hours.

They walk along for a short while, slowly and silently observing the corridors around them. Despite the anxiety that comes with wandering around the eerie halls at night, there's also something serene about it all. Just Luan, Maggie, and the quiet.

Until it starts to bother the girl whose last name is _Loud._

"Hey uh, where are we even going? Or do you even know?" Luan asks Maggie.

Maggie smirks. "You'll see," she simply says to her.

Luan stops and stares as the girl keeps moving ahead of her. She wouldn't do something like this for just anyone, but something about Maggie… she just has something fascinating about her. And Luan enjoys learning more and more about her.

She's her own adventure.

With this in mind, she dutifully paces behind the emo girl, until they come to the first door for the school auditorium.

Maggie stops in front of it, and gives the handle a push to open up the door. Her eyes widen with surprise. "Oh wow, it's actually open," she blurts out.

Luan conflictingly looks on. "The auditorium, huh? Why here?" she asks.

Maggie meets the other girl with a cool, laid back attitude. "It's warm, it's got the best seats in the house..." Her eyes look away from Luan, and the air of invulnerability is squandered by the way she tries not to smile. "And, you said you were a theatre geek and all…"

Luan doesn't try though. She's happy showing how that makes her happy. "Aww. Well thank you. I'll take that as a compliment," she says before inviting herself to enter the door that Maggie has open.

Maggie just watches as she strolls right on in, an amused little smirk donning on her. "Don't get used to it," she says.

Once inside, Luan takes a second to breathe in the auditorium air, deeply exhaling with relief. "Ahhh… I love the smell of this place," she comments.

Maggie sniffs it herself. "Eh, kind of smells like old shoes," she remarks.

"Tennis shoes, yeah," Luan happily agrees. She walks along the aisle to the stage, skimming her fingers along the empty seats lined up for patrons to watch whatever could happen up there.

"Sorry to be 'that girl,' but I'm here to tell ya Maggie; there's nothing like performing for an audience. Best feeling in the world," she tries to convince her.

Maggie shrugs. "I kind of like the feeling you get after a cold shower, but that's just me," she rebuts.

Luan just amusedly shakes her head. Of course she'd respond with that.

But it doesn't stop her from enjoying herself right now. Maybe Maggie came to sit in the reclinable chairs with arm rests, but whatever reason she had for considering Luan's love of the place, she decides to just take advantage of it.

As Maggie takes a seat in the front row, leaning herself back and relaxing, Luan ascends the steps of the side stage, creeping her way up to the seemingly golden platform.

She takes a deep breath, then walks onto the main stage. She takes a panoramic view of the world around her, losing herself under the stage's lights.

With a big smile on her face, she imagines herself wearing her best formalwear. The rows of auditorium seats are jam packed with friends, family, and adoring fans all clamoring for her.

It almost brings a tear to her eye to think of such a beautiful thought.

She snaps back to reality though, remembering that she isn't alone. She looks down from the stage to the front row, and...

Maggie's resting her eyes. Careless to it all.

It doesn't even bother Luan though. If anything, she only feels weird for wanting to stare at her the way she does, studying everything about her while she has a chance. Her clothes, her boots, her hair- it would look strange if it were purple, but maybe cool too…

But her mind can't help but wander. As nice as she looks while she's resting peacefully, she'd look even better with a big smile on her face.

So, she looks back and forth between Maggie and the nearby microphone before shrugging and telling herself, "Ehh, why not?"

She takes the microphone stand, and turns the mic on, making a noise audible enough to grab the sole audience member's attention. Then she pokes the speaking end to make sure the thing is working properly, and thankfully, it is.

Maggie just curiously watches on as Luan continues.

"Ahem," Luan begins to clear her throat before putting the brightest grin she can on her face. "Good evening Royal Woods Theater! How are you all doing tonight?" she asks.

Maggie does a little double take at the seats next to her before looking back to Luan. "Uh, please don't say you're asking me," she tells her.

Luan disregards this. "That's awesome! I wish I could say the same. My clown car broke down on the way here. What do you call a clown whose car breaks down?" she asks.

Maggie facepalms. "I already know this is going to be ridiculous," she voices aloud.

"A cab!" Luan answers, "Hahahaha!"

Maggie mockingly, slowly claps. "Excellent. Perfect. You're _driving_ me crazy with how funny you are," she sardonically says.

Luan beams from ear to ear. "Really?!"

"No, not really," Maggie sharply retorts.

"No, not that!" Luan rebuts, rushing down the side stage stairs and over to her confidante.

Maggie just looks on with apprehension until Luan comes over and grabs her by the forearms. "Woah, hey!"

"You just made a joke! A funny joke!" Luan proclaims as she lifts Maggie out of her seat and literally head to head with her eager self.

"You are _way_ too touchy feely," Maggie remarks.

"And you are in desperate need of a release," Luan ripostes, taking her by her hand now.

Maggie grows wide eyed and flushed. "Uhm, we just met," she says.

Luan shakes her head. "No, you goof! You belong on that stage just as much as I do!" she says to the other girl, coercing her into following her lead.

"Wait, what?!" Maggie blurts out as she reluctantly allows herself to be whisked up to the very same spot where Luan was standing before.

In what would seem to be the blink of an eye, the resident Loud comedienne gets herself into the same seat Maggie was in before, and makes herself comfortable by tying the purple hoodie she wears around her waist just as Maggie was one to do before. Then, she leans her elbows over her knees, clasps her hands, and rests her eager smiling face on her hands to watch.

But watch _what?_

Maggie just stands there with a dumbfounded expression on her face, staring at Luan like she wants to refer her to a specialist.

"Well, go ahead!" Luan tells the girl on stage.

"Go ahead and what?" Maggie dubiously asks.

"Just be yourself! Show me what you're capable of!" she instructs. "Make me laugh, make me cry; I just know deep down under all that Hot Topic clothing there is a cultof personality!" she excitedly explains.

Maggie meets her with her usual brand of cynicism for a moment. But then, she frowns, and she looks down to the hardwood before her, fixing her eyes on the ground.

Luan's smile fades upon realizing this.

"What if you're wrong?" Maggie thinks aloud.

Luan meets the question with surprise, but can't find the words to say.

Maggie sighs before continuing. "What if there isn't anything special about me? What if there's no reason for me to be up here, or down there, or even… anywhere?"

Luan frowns too now. "Hey, don't say that." She stands from her seat now, and slowly paces to the edge of the stage. "I know I haven't known you that long, but, I just know that isn't true. There's definitely something special about you."

Maggie looks up to meet her eyes, anguish in her own. "Like what? What could be special about me?"

Luan thinks it over, and softly smiles as she thinks of something.

"Well, you're funny."

Maggie rolls her eyes at that, and begins to turn around.

"Okay, wait," Luan says, realizing she maybe didn't start the best way she could have. She hops up to climb the stage and join Maggie, who turns back and faces her with the same melancholy expression as before.

"Okay, maybe I really don't know you well enough to say much else about you. But, honestly, I'd really like to get to know you…"

Maggie scornfully shakes her head. "No you don't. Trust me."

"Why not? I think you're really…" Luan begins, but she hesitantly stops herself.

Maggie responds with a somber, deadpan look. "Really what?"

Without any jokes or smiling, Luan returns the same seriousness to the girl she's talking to.

"Actually? I think you're really sad. And that makes me sad," she admits. "And if I'm being totally honest, maybe I'm sad too. Sadder than I realize. Nothing stinks more than feeling alone…"

Maggie winces, almost with disgust. "Well, that's really nice. but I can tell you now, you're wrong about me."

She turns around, unable to look Luan in the eyes anymore. The words become harder to muster as she feels like she'll choke on them, but she continues anyway.

"Even if we did, you know… decide to be friends or whatever, you'd just turn away. And even if you don't, maybe I will. Once people start to think they can depend on me, I just let them down. I'm not worth it…"

Luan swallows the bitter pill that is Maggie's words, but refuses to let them deter her.

"Please don't say that," she begins.

It takes her time to find the strength and courage to say what she feels, but with a sigh, she's able to persevere.

"Whatever you're feeling, I can tell you, I've felt it too. I… I stink at this," she admits, tears welling in her eyes. "Every single person I try to be myself around, they just shut me out. And my family? Even if they love me, even if they try to be there for me… I can't burden them with my constant stupidity…"

Maggie turns back around, looking to the brunette pouring her heart out to her. She doesn't say a word, she doesn't turn away. She just listens.

"So I don't know, Maggie. Maybe I guess i just thought you'd be different. Maybe I felt sorry for you after I saw what happened in the gym. Maybe… maybe I was hoping I could just _finally_ find someone who could tolerate me for the idiot I am…"

She looks to the floor herself now, a tear in her eye now rolling down her cheek.

Maggie allows her heavy words to linger in the air for a moment, giving herself the time to consider her response to it all.

Finally, she decides on what to say.

"You kind of are an idiot."

Luan looks up to her, almost ready to burst into waterworks with the rejection. But, she sees the way Maggie softly smiles.

"But look at you. You're going out of your way to make a stranger laugh and smile about things _just_ because you want to. That's… That's pretty awesome."

Luan simply pays attention as Maggie slowly paces closer to her, the sadness she wore now gone away.

"I wasn't kidding. I really don't deserve the way you've been so nice to me tonight. But, if you want me to be totally honest, full disclosure… I'm glad you are."

Maggie smiles, and this makes Luan smile.

"I'm sorry if I've been annoying," she apologizes.

Maggie softly shakes her head. "You're fine. You're totally fine…"

They come close together, mere inches away from one another. They look into each other's glossy eyes, blushing, smiling…

"But I'm telling you now, if you call me goth again," she playfully razzes, inciting a little laugh from Luan.

"Don't have such a _black_ heart," Luan jokes, and while Maggie doesn't laugh, she wasn't really meant to. Being here, sharing this moment, sharing this newfound happiness…

That's more than enough.

Which, of course would be interrupted by the sound of Luan's ringer.

She takes the phone out of her pocket and looks to find that it is Benny again, and she looks to Maggie as if to ask for permission to answer it.

With only her eyes and a simple motion of the hand, Maggie says _what are you waiting for?_

Luan smirks, and then answers the phone.

"Yello!" she chirps.

"Hey Luan, I've finally made it to the party. I'm uh, I'm with some friends right now, and we're trying to find you. Where are you at?" he asks.

Luan thinks about how to respond, holding her hand over the speaker, looking back to the girl in Hot Topic watching her.

She looks really nice.

"Uh, I'm actually with a friend right now, too. Rain check on hanging out tonight?" she asks.

"Oh, okay. That's fine, dude. Is everything alright?" Benny worriedly asks.

Luan gets lost looking at Maggie, almost even forgetting she's on the phone right now. "Yeah, I couldn't be better, actually," she answers.

"That's great!" Benny tells her with understanding. "Well, I guess I'll leave you to it then. Talk to ya later, alligator?"

"Afterwhile, crocodile," Luan answers before the two of them hang up.

WIth the call ended and that taken care of, Luan looks back to Maggie, an undying smile glued to her face.

And thankfully, Maggie smiles too, just a little bit.

"So, I'm free for the evening. You got any plans?" Luan asks the emo girl.

Maggie mockingly thinks it over. "Hmm… Well, I had planned on contemplating my existence while listening to some screamo, but then this one girl decided to bother me," she teases.

Luan grins. "Oh yeah? What's she like?" she plays along.

Maggie blushes. "She's alright…"

Luan doesn't say anything to ruin her perfect response. Instead, she just blushes to herself, looking down to the floor.

It's in the moment that she realizes she still has Maggie's purple hoodie around her waist, and in what is certainly not an attempt to keep things from getting awkward, she addresses it.

"Hey, you probably want your hoodie back, huh?" she says, wrapping her hands around the sweatshirt sleeves to prepare and untie it.

Maggie contemplates her suggestion before shrugging. "Naw, just keep it. It suits you."

Luan smiles, first because of the kind gesture, and second because…

"Hey, was that a pun?"

Maggie meets her with indifference. "It wasn't. But, I guess I'll claim it anyway… For you."

* * *

Lori smiles widely with a big pair of puppy eyes. "Awwwww! That is _literally_ the most adorable thing I have ever heard!" she expresses.

Luan rolls her eyes. "You say that every time someone talks to you about this stuff. Literally!"

Lori disregards her little sister's pessimism though, the big, bright, shiny smile on her face retaining its glow. She fawningly sighs. "This time it's true though! Hahhhh…."

Luan nervously rubs her arm. "Do you really think so? You don't think it's weird?"

"Of course not! Why would I- Luan, come on," Lori retorts. "I mean, Luna already-" she begins, but Luan interrupts her with a heavy, dejected sigh.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to bring up Luna," she complains as she falls back onto the bed.

It confuses Lori. "Wait, what's wrong with Luna?" she asks.

"Nothing's wrong with Luna. It's just… well…" Luan hesitantly replies. "First Luna likes girls. And everyone supports her. But now I do it, and everyone isn't going to take me as seriously," she confesses.

"Luan, that isn't true," Lori assures her with a comforting voice. "All that matters is you're happy. And if this is really you, if this is really what you want… You'll have nothing but our support. _My_ support," she encourages.

Luan meets her blue eyes, and sees the conviction in them. It helps ease her, and she sits back up to her level. She even decides to rest her head against Lori's arm.

She sighs. "I know. I knew deep down you'd be cool about this. It's why I came to you," she begins.

Hearing that makes Lori smile a little.

Luan doesn't though. "But, it doesn't change how afraid I feel. About… everything."

Lori gently takes Luan by her shoulders, looking to her face once more. "Luan, what is there to be afraid of?" she calmly asks.

Luan thinks it over, wincing with indifference. "Well, aside from telling Mom and Dad, there's also… kids at school."

"Hey, you have nothing to worry about there," Lori states. "I mean, yeah, it'll be tough. Not everyone can keep an open mind, and not everyone can keep their stupid opinions to themselves," Lori says with a hint of scorn in her trailing words. But she keeps cool as she continues on. "But you're real friends will be there for you no matter what. And I have a feeling your new friend Maggie will be too. And if anyone has a problem with it, they've got your back, _I've_ got your back."

Luan looks to Lori with a piteous expression. "Thanks. That really does mean a lot. But here's what I'm scared of the most," she starts. "I really like Maggie. I like what we have going on. I don't want to ruin it by saying how I feel, and she not feel the same way. I don't want to push her away…"

Lori's smile wanes. Her younger sister's words sadden her, but she knows she can't let her feel this way. She has to let her know there's nothing to be afraid of.

She tries her best to make this clear.

"Luan, listen to me, okay?" she begins, looking deep into her brown eyes. She looks away though, somewhat somberly eyeing the ground as she presses forward. "I know… I know we don't spend as much time together as maybe we should. I could make excuses, but I won't. That doesn't change the fact that I care _so much_ about you though. You're my sister, and I love you."

She looks to her again, seeing Luan's lip curve into half of a little smile.

Maybe she can pull this off, after all.

"You are a smart, talented, and absolutely _hilarious_ young woman. And you're such a good person. Babysitting, performing at kids' parties, sharing your love of laughter and the arts with everyone in your own special way? You've really got a gift, Luan. Don't let anyone tell you different."

"Do you really mean all of that?" Luan asks, her sadness all but gone now.

"More than anything in the world," Lori affirms with a smile. "And if I can see that, then I know for a fact that Maggie will too."

Luan wags her head back and forth a bit, letting it show just how much Lori's words have buttered her up with the cheeky grin forming on her face.

"Ehh, you can go on if you want," she teases, earning her a playful little nudge from her sister.

They share a little laugh, but Luan gets serious again.

"So, what should I do?" she asks. "Should I just... keep going with the way things are now? Just being friends with her? Or should I say something to her about… how I really feel?"

Lori softly sighs, considering the brunette's question.

But she comes to be satisfied with the response she'll give, and gives her answer.

"I can't answer that for you, Lu. That's something you'll have to decide for yourself," she tells her.

Luan deflates a bit, clearly disappointed by the answer.

Even so, Lori elaborates. "What you have to ask yourself before making this decision is; are you okay _just_ being friends with her? Is this something you'll look back at later and just laugh about like a bad dream?... Or are your feelings for this girl strong enough to take the chance?"

"And most importantly… do you think she feels the same way about you?"

Luan thinks it over, letting Lori's words of wisdom weigh on her mind for a moment.

"I… I don't know. Part of me feels like she really does. Enough to come and talk to you about this, anyway," she answers.

Lori smiles. "Well, as Lynn likes to say, you miss all the shots you don't take…" She chuckles to herself, "And, I mean… She _did_ give you her hoodie."

They both smile, and at the same time, they say together: "Literally."

And then they share a laugh.

…

Once they get it out of their system, they take a moment to reflect in silence. It's Luan to break it first, of course.

"Thanks Lori. I'm really glad we had this talk," she says with a warm smile on her face.

Lori does the same. "I'm glad we did too."

With that, they don't even think about it. They just hug, squeezing each other tight in their shared embrace.

They break away, and share a mutual gaze before Luan decides to stand up from the bed.

"Well, I know you were on the phone with Bobby, so I guess I won't _rob_ you of any more of your time, haha," she jokes.

"Pffft, that one was lame," Lori playfully responds.

"They all kind of are," Luan admits with a grin.

She turns around to make her way out the room…

"Hey, Luan… Wait," Lori says, stopping her.

Luan looks back to her, seeing the smile on her face has waned slightly.

Belatedly, Lori begins to say, "Hey, uhm, when you told Maggie you felt alone…"

She stops though, deciding she's unsatisfied with the approach. She starts over after taking a breath.

"If you ever feel that way, you can always come to me. I want you to know that."

Luan softly smiles. "I know. Thanks," she simply yet powerfully responds.

With the new understanding between them, Luan again starts to make her way out of the room…

"Hey, you know, if you ever need advice on how to talk to emos, you can always ask Lucy," Lori somewhat jokingly suggests.

"Haha! That was a good one!" Luan laughs.

" _Ahhhhhhhh…"_ the two girls hear from… somewhere.

They frantically look around, before they realize just where it was the strange noise came from.

With a bit of a huff, Lori stands up from her bed, and trudges over to the ventilation shaft in the room. She goes and opens it, only to discover Lucy hidden inside the duct.

"Hello, Lucy," Lori greets her younger sibling.

"Sigh… I'm not an emo," she makes sure to remind her older sisters.

"Lucy?!" Luan groans. "How much of that did you hear?!"

"Sigh… All of it. Everything from the grape and lemon drink, to the joke about the cab," she confesses.

Luan growls. "Grrrrr. Dang it, Lucy! You're always lurking!" she scolds.

"Sigh, I can't help it. I like being kept in the dark. Somewhere between night and day," she almost poetically states.

Luan stares with the same despondence, but is able to calm herself down and exhale a deep breath. "Oh well. I guess I'll have to tell everyone sooner or later," she says.

Lori softly smiles at her before turning her attention to the resident goth.

"Come on, Lucy. Out of the vent," she instructs.

"As you wish," Lucy simply says, stepping out of the shaft. Being as small as she is, Lori has to help her out, gently grabbing hold of her and helping her onto the floor.

"Thank you," the eight year old simply says.

"Don't mention it," Lori replies.

WIth that, Luan decides to make the best of the situation. "Say, if you're not too busy, Lucy. I was thinking maybe I could run some jokes by you. Don't worry, I don't have anything too _dark!_ Hahaha!" she says with a laugh.

"Fine. Not like I'm gonna get any writing done tonight anyway. May as well indulge some of your attempts at humor and references I won't understand," Lucy responds.

"That's the spirit! Come on! I might be able to _ghost_ a few in on the way to my room! Hahaha!" Luan jokes, turning away to leave the oldest Loud sister's room one last time.

"Sigh…" Lucy simply sighs, following close behind.

Lori watches her younger sisters with pride, and she and Luan meet eyes once more before the girls leave her room. She offers a familiar smile and a thumbs up, and Lori returns the gesture with one of her own.

And with that, Luan and Lucy leave her to herself, and she goes back to what she was doing before she was serendipitously interrupted.

She pulls out her phone, makes herself comfortable on her bed, and dials up a certain Bobby Santiago.

After only two rings, the call is answered.

"Hey, Boo Boo Bear," she flirtatiously greets.

"BAWK! Bobby Bonehead! Bobby Bonehead!" Sergio the parrot squawks from the other end of the line.

"Ahhh!" a startled Lori responds. "Dang it, Sergio! Where's Bobby Boneh- I mean- Where's Bobby?!"

In the Santiago Bodega, Sergio turns his attention away from the phone to look behind him.

While he expects Bobby to still be trapped in the freezer, he finds to his surprise that the young man has freed himself from its icy confines.

"Ahem," a familiar voice utters from the bird's opposite direction, and it turns to see Bobby hovering over him with a beak muzzle, and a vengeful grin on his face.

With widened eyes, the bird defiantly squawks: "Bobby Bonehead!"

And Bobby spends the remainder of his evening chasing a colorful bird with colorful language around his grandfather's shop.

* * *

The next day…

Royal Woods High School, daylight.

Luan Loud stands at her open locker, wearing the same purple hoodie that Maggie had gifted to her. She lets out a weary sigh as she looks skyward, running through everything her mind one million miles and hour.

"Okay, I can do this," she thinks aloud.

She takes a out a little white envelope, and considerately holds it in her grasp for a moment before sighing once more. "I can do this," she repeats.

With that, she places the envelope in her hoodie pocket.

Moments later, she makes her way to cafeteria, gets her meal, and makes her way through the cafeteria, keeping her eyes peeled for a certain someone.

While she doesn't see her, she does find two other familiar faces approaching her.

"Hey dude, what's up?" Luna Loud greets her sister.

"Oh, hey Luna, hey Sam," Luan says to the other two girls with a smile.

"What's shakin' bacon?" Sam offers as a salutation.

"Uh, you know. The sky, and lettuce and tomato," Luan halfheartedly jokes in response to the two of them.

Luna smirks. "Funny stuff, funny girl. So where are we sittin' today?" she asks her younger sister.

Luan only briefly faces Luna before wandering her eyes elsewhere, trying to seek out…

Maggie.

She finds her sitting alone at a table in the far back of the cafeteria.

A small smile encroaches on her face.

Realizing that Luna and Sam now incredulously stare at her, she shakes herself of her daze, and offers them a smile.

"Uh, actually guys, I think I'm going to go sit with Maggie today. Maybe you guys can sit with Carol Pingrey," she suggests before moving ahead.

Sam and Luna look to one another with confusion.

"Maggie who?" Sam asks.

"Why would I ever talk to Carol?" Luna responds.

…

It's as if time slows down as Luan makes her way over to Maggie's table. All the other people in the room cease to matter, and the only things she can focus on are the image of the girl before her eyes, and the _pounding_ in her chest.

She's played this scenario out over and over again in her mind, the best case scenarios, the _worst_ case scenarios…

But, she remembers everything Lori said. She remembers the first night she shared with Maggie. The laughs, the smiles…

The way she stole her heart.

"I have to do this. I have to tell her how I feel," she whispers to herself.

Finally, she reaches the table.

Maggie looks up to her with her usual brand of lethargic energy, but a slight smile bestows upon her face.

"Oh look, it's Luan and her wardrobe with fifty flowers," she playfully teases. "What's your deal with those anyway?"

Luan finds herself paling, becoming even more anxious with Maggie's words. She nervously laughs.

"Haha! Yeah, you really put the _petal_ to the metal with that one!" she jokes, somehow managing not to die of a heart attack.

She carefully keeps her hand in her hoodie pocket, pinching the white envelope inside for dear life, realizing just how crucial its concealed contents are to her success here and now.

It doesn't even dawn on her that Maggie stares at her with an estranged expression, likely because she just stands before her instead of actually taking a seat at the table.

"Hey. You just gonna stand there and wait for the bell to ring? Or are you gonna eat your food? Cuz I could go for seconds if you don't," Maggie straightforwardly says to Luan.

The brunette convalesces, and shakes herself. "Oh! Right! Heh heh…" she responds as she invites herself to sit down parallel to the other girl.

Normally, she'd be all happy go lucky, beaming and glowing and ready to inflict her usual helping of pun punishment. But today, she feels none of that. It's all buried under a mountain of teenage angst and anxiety, drowning her in her own insecurities.

But the way Maggie slyly rests her arms on the table, leaning in just a little closer with a smile on her face…

It reminds her what this is all about.

"So, what can I do for you today, Luan Loud?" Maggie asks her.

Luan gulps, swallowing the scared feelings, subjugating the worry, forcing herself to find the courage to go further than she ever thought she could.

Without a word, she sets her tray to the side, and reveals her other hand from her pocket, as well as the white envelope in her possession.

She holds it up for Maggie to see, and she just studies it with peculiar interest. "What is that?"

"Just read it," Luan tells her. No jokes, no funny business.

And with that, she slowly slides it across the table, almost wishing she could just take it back. But she can't now. It's too late.

All that's left for her to do is brace for impact.

Maggie watches all of this with the same conflicted look on her face, less than eager to do anything with the envelope, more than concerned by the way Luan refuses to look her in the eye.

But eventually, she decides to play along, and picks up the envelope. She ghosts her fingertips along the seal before digging them in and tearing the paper to reveal a card inside, as well as what would seem to be a flower.

The flower drops out and lands on the table, and Maggie just stares at it for a moment before looking back to Luan. She forces a weak smile, her cheeks crimson red now.

Maggie returns her focus now to the gift from her friend, choosing to remove the card from inside the torn envelope. She opens it up to read what it says.

On a blank white canvas, the card reads:

 _Water you waiting for? Be mine!_

"What the-?" she just finishes saying, before the flower on the table spritzes her face with a squirt of water.

She slowly recovers from the sudden aquatic attack, and looks to Luan now with a surprised, almost _angered_ expression.

But, despite everything, Luan can't help herself. Seeing Maggie's soaked, sour face tickles her funny bone, and she bursts into laughter.

She laughs and laughs and laughs, joyfully shedding tears, having to hold onto her ribs to keep her sides from splitting.

And while Maggie really doesn't find it all too funny at first… she eventually joins in, smiling just as wide, laughing just as hard.

It goes on like this for what would seem like minutes, but really only happens in a matter of seconds. It's Luan to die down first, and then the recipient of her gift.

Her smiling, laughing face loses its luster, instead wearing a certain kind of sadness as she realizes what Luan's actions mean.

In turn, Luan understands this isn't a good sign, and she sinks in her seat.

Maggie thinks of what to say, and settles for the following as she looks to Luan with piteous, glossy eyes.

"Are you… does this mean?..."

Luan tries to smile, but it isn't very big. Still, it's sufficient enough for a _yes,_ and Maggie understands this.

The emo girl studies the flower and the card for a little while longer, deep in thought over how to respond to all of this.

Again, she meets Luan with the same pained puppy eyes, and speaks.

"Luan… I… I…"

…

She smiles.

"I'm so happy to have you."

It's almost like she's dreaming. Luan hears the words, and she sees the way Maggie brightens up before her, but it almost doesn't seem real. She can't really be happy to hear this, can she?

But she is. Her big, beautiful smile says so.

And that makes Luan smile too.

"I really like you, Maggie. A lot."

Maggie almost chokes up. "I like you too, Luan."

Slowly, carefully, she slides her hand across the desk, and rests it gently over Luan's. Her touch sends a surge of saccharine synergy through Luan's veins, causing her poor heart to race even faster and harder. the endorphins become too much for her. She blushes, her eyes well up…

She smiles.

Her eyes meet Maggie's, and together, they share this feeling of understanding, compassion, and happiness.

Something much deeper than just friendship.

…

But, knowing full well just what Luan is capable of, Maggie decides to take initiative. In a surprise move, she takes the flower, and squeezes it, making it squirt Luan just like it did to her.

It totally catches the other girl off guard, but once she realizes just what this means, the same endearing smile she wore before returns to her, and she laughs.

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" she ripostes. "I knew you were the _gushy_ type."

Maggie laughs too. "Shut up for once," she jokes.

Luan lets herself relax ever so slightly, and without even thinking about it, responds…

"Why don't you make me?"

The words are so sudden, yet so impactful. Maggie's smile fades, and so does Luan's. They stare deep inside of one another's eyes, and ever so slowly, lean in to get closer to one another.

Inches away from one another, they close their eyes, and get close enough to feel each other's breath on their faces. Sparks fly on the inside as everything else falls away…

So close now, their lips almost touch…

…

But then, the dismissal bell rings.

They both open their eyes to acknowledge all of the excitement around them; the people standing and filing to make their way out of the cafeteria, all clamoring about anything and everything else in the world, except for the two girls sitting alone at their table together.

But they could care less, they just smile at one another, and without a word or any more hesitation, reach in share a loving kiss.

It lasts maybe a second, but feels like a lifetime's worth of waiting. Luan loves it, Maggie loves it… They have each other, and that's all that matters.

They nervously look away from one another, Luan rubbing the back of her neck, Maggie slightly giggling as she looks to the ground.

But they meet one another's eyes once more.

"So, I'll see ya around?" Luan asks her paramore.

Maggie smiles.

"Yes you will."

THE END

* * *

 **Hey there, thanks very much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Normally, I write a long, overly longwinded message at the end of these things… Because, well, I have an ego.**

 **But, I thought about it long and hard, and you know what I decided?...**

 **If something works, why change it? HAHAHAHAHA**

 **Jokes aside...**

 **I love Luaggie more than words can describe. Just the very idea of it makes me happy like few things ever have. I'll shamelessly admit it's because of the idea of Luaggie that I am where I am today, and that I owe JamesSunderlandsPillow to whoever got the bright idea to ship the two together in the first place.**

 **And even after everything I've come to love an enjoy in this fandom, nothing has stuck with me like Luaggie. Nothing. Say what you want about me for that, but I'm totally fine admitting it.**

 **It will never be canon, and there's a good chance Maggie may never even return to the show. But it could matter less to me. The beautiful thing about fiction is that, I'm able to live in a world where Luan loves Maggie with all of her heart, just as Maggie does for her. They're able to make each other smile in the best and the worst of times, and be the best of friends.**

 **If I can help anyone else feel the same way, the same way that people like The Fresh Knight, Parasomnico, Bunny Absentia, CoyoteRom, NickTheIrkenArtist, JaviSuzumiya, and WBlak have for me… Then I can die a happy man.**

 **Thanks again so much for reading. Until next time, true believers.**


End file.
